Additionally, BNP, a well-established marker of cardiac hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction [49], was analysed by ELISA using the rat heart protein lysates, showing a statistically significant increase in BNP protein concentration in RUPP hearts compared with sham controls (sham 4.12 ± 1.6 vs RUPP 11.84 ± 2.1, ng/μl, n = 6, p = 0.01, Fig. 1c). This evidence concerns the gene NPPB and cardiac hypertrophy.